Early Americana collection nets $2.3 million at auction
Jay T. Snider's collection of early Americana, much of it relating to Philadelphia, fetched $2.3 million at an auction ending yesterday in New York.
Jay T. Snider's collection of early Americana, much of it relating to Philadelphia, fetched $2.3 million at an auction ending yesterday in New York.
Though the rare books, manuscripts, maps and prints were expected to garner $3 million, Anais Borja, a representative of Bloomsbury Auctions, said the gallery was pleased with the result.
"In times of a wintry economy, collectibles and especially books tend to stay pretty stable," Borja said.
Of the 375 lots put up for the auction, 77 percent sold, a rate Borja termed "exceptional in this market."
Bloomsbury is a leading auction house for rare books and other works on paper. The auction had been scheduled for Nov. 19, but it stretched into yesterday.
The collection chronicled Philadelphia's growth from 1681 when the city was founded through the 1876 Centennial celebration. Some ephemera pertained to Benjamin Franklin
Snider is best known as president of the Flyers from 1983 to 1994. The collection was sold to mark his induction into the Chairman's Circle of the National Constitution Center. He could not be reached for comment last night.
The top lots were: the first color book of Philadelphia as the nation's capital, by William Birch, $96,000; the first map of Pennsylvania by Nicholas Scull, $96,000; and a book by Birch with country scenes, $90,000. They also included a photo album of Philadelphia, $72,000; and the first complete English Bible in printed in America, $68,400.
